1. We would make good tv on The Amazing Race.
2. This is not The Amazing Race. There is no million dollar prize. And we should just have fun. (Hence the convenience store stop.)
3. We are fun. And funny.
4. We know very little about downtown Honolulu. VERY little.
So we all started out at Gordon-Biersch at the Aloha Tower Marketplace. We checked in, got our t-shirts and numbers, and waited for the team captains to be called.
Once called, the team captain from each team lined up in a large circle. They held out one hand. Received the envelope of clues, continuing to hold that hand out, and waiting for the horn to blow.
At this time, we were off and running. To where? Who knows? Here is what our paper said...
READ EACH CLUE CAREFULLY-EACH HAS SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS! You MUST complete 11 of the below 12 clues to finish the Challenge-no extra credit for doing the 12th. You MUST take a photo of all of your team members at each stop (ask someone to take the photo, or stretch out an arm to the photo with everyone in it, when possible). Remember, your own two feet and public transportation are allowed-but no taxis, cars, bikes, rollerskates, camels, helicopters or hoverboards! All teammates must be present at the finish line to record a time. GOOD LUCK!
This is not the order that we completed them in, but for the purpose of ease, here are the listed tasks with our corresponding photos.
1. Unscramble this Americana anagram: TREBELE BILLY to find this apPEALing object. You want the one given to the-then territory of Hawaii by the Department of the Treasury in 1950, not the other replica in town (yes there's two!) You'll find it very nearish the statue of Moloka'i's most famous Catholic. When you find it, act out your "most American" scene with your target.
2. We'll give you an option here, since they might be sort of hard to find: find EITHER a person whose driver's license is from any of the other 49 states OR someone wearing any professional sports gear (hat, jersey, etc...but you can't just throw it on someone in a sports store). This clue CANNOT take place inside Gordon Biersch or with another Challenger. When you find your target, take a photo with them and your team making the shape of their state with your hands or mimicking the sport they're rocking.
(Can't tell what state we're making....don't worry, it's Germany. Haha!)
3. Find the "Westminster Abbey of the Pacific," made of more then 14,000 coral slabs hand quarried from underwater reefs. Although it's generally regarded as the first of it's kind, it actually replaced some thatched huts serving the same purpose on the same land. When the clock on top is pointing to a number (:05, :10, etc), snap a photo with your team's bodies spelling out H-I (two person team) or H-N-L (three or more).
4. On the southwest grounds of this one-of-a-kind regal feature, (you won't find another anywhere in America), you'll form the signature Challenge Nation pose- the human pyramid! You'll know you're in the right spot if you can see a coronation pavilion nearby! Make sure you get the big structure in the backdrop for a picturesque photo!
5. Did you know you were wearing a clue this whole time? Find the ten coded digits on your body and ring them up to hear your next Challenge.
(As I recall this was to take a picture of a ships captain or get behind the wheel of a ship and pretend you are driving. It was the last clue we attempted. Can you see the captain. He's there. Pretty lame. But still funny to us.)
6. Monday is officially his big day, but this guy needs more than one day to celebrate. Find the spot his likeness was drenched in flowers yesterday and give us your best impression of his pose in your photo. Did you know this statue is one of a matching set of three? One sank in a burning ship, but was recovered and is now installed on the Big Island and the other used to sit in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall-but was moved to the new Capitol Visitors Center because it was too big!
(Clearly we were confused on the pose to do here :))
7. Yes, Hawaii became a state in 1959, but Honolulu itself is older than half of the downtown cities Challenge Nation visits! To complete this clue, take a photo with any building or structure older than 1850-but it can't be the target of any other clue. When you reach it, act out a scene from that era in Hawaiian life.
8. There are two of these memorials in town that the guys in the next clue will never put out. One is older, one is more recent. Find the older of the two.
9. Despite Honolulu being ranked 53rd among US cities by population (sandwiched by Anaheim and New Orleans), these brave municipal employees work for the 16th largest of these organizations in the country, because they're responsible for the entire island. Find any of them, where they live while at work, or what they drive and snap a picture mimicking their job!
10. Wow, so many choices, choices, choices: take a photo with any ONE of the following: an Aleurites Moluccana specimen, a live horse, a license plate containing a "X" or "Z" in its license number, a Segway transporter, or shaking hands with a dog.
11. In, As You Like It, the Bard says "All the World's a Stage" ....and we intend to let you prove it. Find any appropriate stage, theater, performance hall, etc., that's not within 100 yards of another clue site. Actually getting on stage is great, but outside on the sidewalk is far more likely! May we suggest an old post office that's now a theater? Once there, along with at least one stranger or other Challenge team act out you favorite movie or play scene!
12. Wrap up the Challenge by finding a screw that's not Phillips or Flat head, and is more than a whopping three feet in diameter...there are several around where you started the race, none still attached to their original vessel! Give us your best maritime pose in the photo.
We passed on the last clue as we were ready to be done and head somewhere to watch the NBA playoffs. Early afternoon games. One of the beauties of living in Hawaii.
We finished the race in an hour and twenty-two minutes. Our final standing was 117th place! Rockstars.
And just for laughs, the boys spent a lot of time videoing themselves.
